There is continued effort to connect computers and other devices together to meet the needs of a variety of different users. Consequently, both wired and wireless networks are becoming more and more common in businesses, organizations, and homes. These networks allow for data to be transferred between the various devices and also processes/processing to be selectively distributed and/or centralized, as needed. Moreover, such networks allow for certain networked devices or resources to be shared by a plurality of other devices. One common example of a shared resource is a printer. Here, for example, a laser printer may be configured to support several different users/computers. Another common example of a shared device is a server. A server may be configured for access by different users/computers. Many other types of devices may likewise be configured as a shared resource.
In certain situations, it is often necessary for the users, network administrators and/or other various others to understand how well the networked devices, including the shared resources, and the network are performing. To understand or otherwise analyze the performance of these devices/resources, performance monitoring applications/programs may be run on a networked computer or other like networked device to collect and record selected operational parameters and provide such information to an interested party. Many of these programs also provide analysis tools and/or perform automated analysis. In certain configurations, such programs may also be implemented so as to modify the operation of the network or networked devices, for example, in an effort to increase operational efficiency, address identified problems, etc.
These and similar programs are usually designed to collect and store the current status of selected networked devices. The status, for example, may indicate if the device is operating properly. The status may also include, for example, information about the number of tasks performed over a given period of time and/or a record identifying other devices that have accessed or otherwise communicated with the device providing its status. While such status reports may be useful for a variety of purposes, there is typically a lack of detailed information regarding how individual data files have been processed.
It would be beneficial to understand how an individual data file has been processed, accessed, or otherwise used, by various networked devices, programs running thereon, and/or users associated therewith. Hence, there is a need for methods and apparatuses that can provide such information and other similar information. Preferably, the methods and apparatuses will not significantly degrade the performance of the various networked devices, or otherwise substantially alter the operation of the various networked devices.